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Fullmetal Alchemist – Episode 29 Review

Episode 29, "The Untainted Child"

*****SPOILERS*****

Synopsis: The Elric brothers and Izumi don’t know what to make of the mysterious boy who appeared on the island, who is capable of using alchemy without circles. They take him back to Izumi’s home, where he’s fed. During the night, Ed and Al visit the boy in his room, but he reacts badly to their curiosity and fuses with his bed until Izumi can calm him down. Meanwhile, Sheska confronts Roy about his lack of action on Hughes’ death. Ed thinks the child might be a homunculus, but remembers homunculi normally can’t use alchemy. Edward recounts what happened to when he performed human transmutation, having seen the Truth at the Gate and thinks he saw the child there. Izumi goes off to "check something", but Ed and Al can’t stay away from the child, who appears to have the arm Ed sacrificed to the Gate. On Yock Island, Izumi comes upon a familar place. read more

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Fullmetal Alchemist – Episode 28 Review

Episode 28, "All is One, One is All"

*****SPOILERS*****

Synopsis: Izumi leaves Ed and Al on Yock Island, where they remember when they were left there to survive for a month without the use of alchemy. They eventually learned that they were both part of a greater flow and that flow extended to them as well ("All is one, one is all") and when they understood that, Izumi welcomed them for more specific alchemy training. In the present, Ed and Al are being stalked by a mysterious child, who appears when Izumi comes back to get them. read more

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Fullmetal Alchemist Episode 27 Review

Episode 27, "Teacher"


 
*****SPOILERS*****

Synopsis: Edward tries to escape from his teacher Izumi, but she subdues him and ties him and Alphonse up to take them to the town of Dublith. On the way there, the brothers remember how they met her as she was passing through Risembool and saved the town from flooding with alchemy. She reluctantly took them on as pupils. After the flashback, Ed, Al, and Winry arrive in Dublith, where Izumi’s husband runs a meat shop. After an incident involved a dead cat, Izumi reveals that she knows what happened to the brothers, and after a beating, hugs them. read more

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Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood – Yet Another Man’s Battlefield OVA

OVA, "Yet Another Man’s Battlefield"


*****SPOILERS*****

Synopsis: At the age of 18, Roy Mustang takes part in training in the Amestris military. While in training, he meets Maes Hughes and an Ishbalan named Heiss Clif Arber, and they become friends over a fight to overcome discrimination. However, years later in the Ishbal massacre, Heiss Clif is on the other side. Devestated by the war, Roy looks for 30 seconds peace. After the war, Hughes reunites with his then-girlfriend, Gracia, and Roy acknowledges his comrade’s strength. read more

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Fullmetal Alchemist – Episode 26 Review

Episode 26, "Her Reason"

*****SPOILERS*****

Synopsis: In the aftermath of Maes Hughes’ death, Roy views a bill for Ed and Al’s needs. Suddenly a woman and a giant man burst in and demand to know where they are. The Elric brothers and Winry arrive at Rush Valley, a city teeming with automail business. When Ed uses alchemy to win an arm-wrestling contest, Winry is offended and storms off. She meets a girl named Paninya with automail limbs who wants to prove that the automail her engineer gave her is excellent. Winry comes up with a plan. The next day, Paninya steals Edward’s pocket watch. He gives chase and ends up having to save her. At their lodging for the night, Edward tells Winry that he appreciates her automail, but would prefer to have his own limbs back. Suddenly, the giant man appears and Edward facefaults. read more

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Fullmetal Alchemist – Episode 25 Review

Episode 25, "Words of Farewell"

*****SPOILERS*****

Synopsis: Maes Hughes requests to meet with Doctor Marcoh, supposedly in the Fuhrer’s custody, about matters concerning the Fifth Laboratory. The Fuhrer tells his secretary, Juliet Douglas, to take care of it. The Elrics claim to be abandoning their research into the Philosopher’s Stone and are headed to meet with their alchemy teacher in Dublith. However, Hughes and Armstrong see through their ruse. The brothers, along with Winry, leave Central on the train, but they admit to Winry that they’re not going to Dublith, fearing their teacher. They plan instead to catch up with Scar and the Ishbalans to see if there’s another way to make the Philosopher’s Stone. Meanwhile, at an Ishbalan camp, Scar’s master appears, concerned about his actions. Hughes works into the night doing research on the Ishbal war and the Philosopher’s Stone, discovering something suddenly involving the Fuhrer’s secretary, who calls with the news that Marcoh has arrived in Central. Hughes meets with Juliet Douglas and reveals that he knows about an inconsistency in personell records involving her. Suddenly Lust appears and attacks him, and he runs off, encountering Maria Ross. Hughes calls Roy in a phone booth, but Roy has already left for Central out of concern for the Elric brothers. Frustrated, Hughes hangs up the phone, but confronts Ross, who he knows is an imposter. "Maria Ross" reveals herself to be Envy, the shape-shifting homunculi, who changes into Gracia Hughes, catching him off guard. A shot rings out. At the funeral for Hughes, Roy cries. Meanwhile, Edward spots what appears to be Hughes, waving at him as the train passes a station, but shrugs it off. read more

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Fullmetal Alchemist – Episode 24 Review

Episode 24, "Bonding Memories"

*****SPOILERS*****

Synopsis: Alphonse runs away, running into wandering Ishbalans, including Scar, and two children, Rick and Leo. Scar is tracked down by mercenaries, including an alchemist who uses electricity and Barry the Chopper. With the help of Edward, they defeat the mercenaries, and Scar and the Ishbalans go off to find a place to live.

Comments:

Eh, this is not one of the good episodes of this show.

Is it just me, or do the mercenaries in this episode have the laziest, most generic character designs in this entire series? I mean, come on, is Yoshiyuki Ito unable to design original characters? Even Hiroki Kanno’s Isaac McDougal character design (or did Arakawa herself design him for them to use?) stands out. I guess it hardly matters, since these guys aren’t named and only appear for a single episode, but at least the leader should be named. read more

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Fullmetal Alchemist – Episode 23 Review

Episode 23, "Fullmetal Heart"

*****SPOILERS*****

Synopsis: Edward awakes in a hospital and is chided by Maria Ross for his reckless behavior. He calls Winry who offers to come and fix his automail (not letting on that she screwed up before). Hughes continues to keep the latest situation a secret from Roy. Alphonse keeps the words of Barry the Chopper in his head, fearing he is fake. Winry is taken to Hughes’ daughter’s birthday party, where Sheska is also in attendence. With his automail fixed, Edward fixes Alphonse’s armor body, but Alphonse is convinced that he isn’t real and runs off in anger. read more

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Fullmetal Alchemist – Episode 22 Review

Episode 22, "Created Human"

*****SPOILERS*****

Synopsis: Hughes sets up a detachment of soldiers to retrieve the Elrics from Laboratory 5. Alphonse and Scar face off with Lust and Gluttony, and Scar falls into a hole. In the room with the red water, Edward figures a way to use alchemy arrays to make a Philosopher’s Stone out of the ingredients. Fuhrer King Bradley decides to join the detachment of soldiers to go to Laboratory 5, much to Hughes’ surprise. In a room above the main red water room, a Basque Gran-disguised Envy looks over hidden prisoners brought in to be live ingredients. One of the prisoners, Kimbley, uses alchemy to turn one of the others into a human bomb, escaping, and causing the other prisoners to fall down where Edward can see them. Envy appears and Edward is unable to fight him because his automail arm’s missing piece. Envy kicks him around. Lust and Gluttony appear with a disabled and damaged Alphonse. Tucker explains that they’re homunculi, artificial humans, and reveals that he plans to use the Philosopher’s Stone to bring Nina back. The homunculi insist Edward make the Philosopher’s Stone to make them human, and threaten to destroy Al’s bood seal. Reluctantly, Edward prepares to do what they wish, but hesitates at the last moment. Scar interrupts, telling Ed to escape with his brother. However, when Edward walks into a puddle of red water, his alchemy skills go out of control, which causes the homunculi to flee. The detachment arrives and Maria Ross calms Edward down. read more

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